


Beach: #28

by Ignisentis



Series: 32 Ways To Say I Love You [28]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cap Quartet At the Beach, M/M, Steve Throws A Frisbee, The Real Kind Not the Shield Kind, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22656751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignisentis/pseuds/Ignisentis
Summary: Bucky, Sam, and Natasha watch Steve play frisbee on the beach with a bunch of kids.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: 32 Ways To Say I Love You [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602352
Comments: 31
Kudos: 163





	Beach: #28

**Author's Note:**

> So, originally I had a much different fic in mind for my Beach idea, but then this happened, and I liked it so much as just this moment for all of them that I left it at this.
> 
> As always, you can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Ardeospina)

Bucky wakes slowly, sighing happily as the breeze off the ocean kisses his sweat-beaded skin. It’s nice here under the shade umbrellas they’d set up at Beach Base Camp. The perfect place to take a post-lunch nap, he’d decided once his belly was full of the food Steve packed into a large cooler, and he’d turned out to be right. This had been one of those naps he would remember for years and look back on fondly.

Bucky sighs again and opens his eyes to find Sam sacked out on the blanket next to his, mouth open, snoring lightly. Bucky suppresses a giggle and looks around for his phone, grabbing it and snapping a picture he’ll use to tease Sam with later. 

Bucky sits up and casts his gaze around the beach looking for Steve and Natasha. Natasha he finds wading near the water’s edge, one arm on her hip, sarong blowing in the breeze. Her other arm is on her head, maybe holding her large, floppy sun hat in place, or maybe just because she’s watching Steve.

Steve, who is a few dozen feet away, holding a frisbee in his hands. There’s a group of kids waiting for him about a hundred feet further down the beach, jumping up and down as they shout and scream and laugh. Steve holds up the frisbee to show he’s about to throw it, then winds up and lets loose. The kids all scream excitedly as it flies over their heads, and they turn to chase after it. Steve’s laughing now, a deep, genuine one, the kind that makes him clap his hand over his own chest in delight.

He must have been at it for a while, because there are dozens of kids in the pack, their parents standing in a sort of line a few yards back, protecting the space for the game. Bucky chuckles and heads down to where Natasha is standing.

“Hey,” she says when he reaches her position. She takes her arm down off her head and wraps it around his waist, and oh. Oh, that’s new, but it’s...it’s good. He likes it. He lifts his arm — the right one, thankfully — and slowly puts it around her shoulder. She doesn’t try to stop him or move away, so he just lets it rest there. They stand together like that, watching Steve hurl a frisbee to gleeful, shrieking kids

Sam makes his way down to them soon after, standing on Natasha’s other side. She takes her hand off her hip and wraps it around Sam’s waist, and he does the same to her. Bucky can reach Sam’s shoulder from where his arm’s resting on Natasha, so he does, touching Sam briefly before letting his arm drop onto Nat again. Sam looks over at him and smiles, easy, like his smiles always are.

The three of them watch Steve in silence a little while longer, soft smiles on all their faces. 

“I’ll be damned,” Sam says at one point, and Bucky doesn’t disagree. Seeing Steve like this, so carefree and happy, golden and effervescent in ways most people never get to see...it’s incredibly moving. Bucky feels buoyant, like he could easily just float away on the breeze.

“Is this what it’s like?” Natasha asks, her voice a thick. “For you two?”

“Sometimes,” Bucky says. 

“Wow,” she whispers, just loud enough for Bucky to hear over the noise of the waves, the sounds of the crowded beach. 

He squeezes her shoulder lightly.

The kids tire before Steve does, naturally, and they all sort of decide at once to surround Steve and hug the daylights out of him. His face is pinched and anxious at first, but the power of happy children wins out in the end and that sunshine smile reappears. The kids are all talking over each other, which makes Steve laugh and ruffle their hair. Soon parents start wandering down to collect their kids and thank Steve, and Bucky’s pleased to note how none of them try and get Steve’s attention or ask him questions or try to get a photo with him. Maybe they already took enough photos and video — and Bucky knows this will end up on the internet within the hour — or maybe they just all understand they’ve witnessed something precious today and are acting accordingly reverent. 

Bucky hopes it’s the latter.

When the last child has waved goodbye, Steve looks back toward their base camp, frowning a little when he sees it’s vacant. He casts his eyes around the beach, so Sam gives him a little wave. Steve sees it, sees them standing all wrapped up together, and smiles such a soft, adoring smile that Bucky feels his heart tumble around his chest.

Steve strolls over and sets his big hands on his narrow hips. “Hey,” he says around a widening smile, happy and beautiful with it.

  
  
  
  



End file.
